Poison (status condition)

The poison condition (PSN) (Japanese: どくpoison) is a non-volatile status condition found in the Pokémon games, it causes a Pokémon to lose HP at the end of every turn, as well as outside of battle prior to Generation V. It can be caused by several moves most of which are Poison-type, and some Abilities. Poison and Steel-type Pokémon are immune to being poisoned, making it the only non-volatile status condition to be ineffective against more than one type; however, in Generation II, Steel-type Pokémon can be poisoned by Twineedle.

Along with the poison status, a Pokémon can also be badly poisoned (Japanese: もうどくdeadly poison); the effects are similar to poison but instead of having a set amount of damage dealt each turn, badly poisoned Pokémon will receive increasing amounts of damage each turn. The label for a Pokémon that is badly poisoned has light purple text from Generation V on, rather than the white text of standard poisoning.

Effect

The effects of poison vary between generations, but a poisoned Pokémon will lose HP at the end of every turn. Until Generation V, a poisoned Pokémon will lose one HP for every four steps taken outside of battle.

Generation I

A poisoned Pokémon will lose 1/16 of its maximum hit points every turn in battle. If a poisoned Pokémon causes an opponent to faint, the poisoned Pokémon will not take damage that turn. Outside of battle, a poisoned Pokémon will lose one HP for every four steps taken.

A badly poisoned Pokémon will lose 1/16 of its maximum HP on the first turn, after which damage will increase by 1/16 every time damage is dealt to the badly poisoned Pokémon. Switching a badly poisoned Pokémon out or a battle ending will turn the badly poisoned status into normal poison. A badly poisoned Pokémon that is also under the effect of Leech Seed will have its poison damage counter, as well as its Leech Seed damage, increase by 1/8 and 1/16 of the Pokémon's maximum HP each turn respectively. Haze will bring the damage taken by badly poisoned Pokémon back to 1/16. Rest will remove the bad poison, but will not reset the damage counter. If a Pokémon gets badly poisoned again, its damage taken will carry on from where it was when using Rest.

Generation II

In-battle damage taken by a poisoned Pokémon was increased to 1/8 of the Pokémon's maximum HP.

Bad poisoning remains at a starting amount of 1/16, but now increases in damage at the end of every turn, and can no longer increase the damage taken from Leech Seed. Haze no longer affects poisoning. While Steel-type Pokémon cannot be poisoned by Poison-type moves, they can still be poisoned by Twineedle.

Generation III

If a badly poisoned Pokémon is switched out, it will keep the badly poisoned status; however, the damage counter will reset. From this generation onward, a poisoned Pokémon will take damage even if it knocks out an opponent. Ending a battle will still change the badly poisoned status to normal poison. Steel-type Pokémon cannot be poisoned by Twineedle.

Generation IV

Same as before, but if a poisoned Pokémon is brought down to one HP due to poison damage outside of battle, its poison status will be cured instead of the Pokémon fainting, as in previous generations.

Generation V on

A poisoned Pokémon no longer receives damage outside of battle.

A poisoned Pokémon now glows purple in battle. The poison status will cause a Pokémon to take double damage from Hex and Venoshock. In the battle (but not party screen), bad poison has dark purple characters instead of white.

Other causes

Poison Point has a 30% chance of poisoning the opponent when contact is made with the user, Poison Touch has a 30% chance of poisoning the target when the user uses a contact move, and Effect Spore has a 10% chance of poisoning the target when the user uses a contact move. A Pokémon can also be poisoned if it directly poisons a Pokémon with Synchronize.

Other causes

The item Toxic Orb badly poisons the holder at the end of the turn. A Pokémon can also be badly poisoned if it directly badly poisons a Pokémon with Synchronize*.

Poisoning Steel and Poison-type Pokémon

Although difficult, it is possible for Steel and Poison-type Pokémon to be poisoned. In Generation II, the move Twineedle could poison Steel-type Pokémon; however, this was removed in future Generations. A Poison or Steel-type Pokémon can be poisoned if its type is changed through a move like Soak, is then poisoned and switched out. When the Pokémon is sent out again, the poison status will remain even though the Pokémon's type has changed back to Poison or Steel. Also, poisoned Pokémon who evolve into a Poison- or Steel-type Pokémon, such as Cascoon evolving into Dustox, will keep the poisoned status after evolving.

Prevention and curing

Whether a Pokémon is poisoned or badly poisoned, prevention and curing remain unchanged.

Steel- and Poison-type Pokémon cannot be poisoned. Safeguard and Misty Terrain (for grounded Pokémon) will prevent the user's team from being afflicted by any status condition for five turns, and a Pokémon behind a substitute cannot be poisoned (other than by holding a Toxic Orb). Poisoning can be prevented with the Abilities Immunity and Leaf Guard (in intense sunlight).

The Ability Magic Guard will prevent damage due to poison from being taken in battle; however, it does not prevent the damage from being taken outside of battle.

Advantages

While poisoning and badly poisoning, like all major status conditions, have primarily negative effects, it can be advantageous to be poisoned in certain conditions. Pokémon with Guts, Marvel Scale, and Quick Feet will have their Attack, Defense, and Speed increased by 50%, respectively, if poisoned or afflicted by any other non-volatile status condition excluding sleep and freeze; however, in Generation IV, sleep will increase the Attack of Pokémon with Guts. Poisoning will increase the attack of a Pokémon with Toxic Boost by 50%, and the base power of Facade is doubled (from 70 to 140) when inflicted with poison. A Pokémon with Poison Heal will regain 1/8th of its maximum HP at the end of each turn instead of taking damage. When capturing Pokémon, the poison status also adds a 1.5× multiplier to the catch rate of any given Pokémon.

In competitive battling in Generation I, as Pokémon were not healed before link battles in the handheld games, players would often enter battles with their Pokémon already poisoned, as it prevented them from being affected by other more harmful status conditions; also, poison only inflicted 1/16 of the Pokémon's total HP as damage each turn rather than 1/8 as it does from Generation II onward. This tactic was not viable in the Pokémon Stadium series, as Pokémon were restored to full health before battle in these games.

Other in-game effects

If a poisoned Pokémon gains the Ability Immunity through the use of Skill Swap, Trace or another method, the poison or bad poison status will be removed, but once Immunity is lost, the poison status will be regained, with bad poison keeping its damage counter.
In Pokémon Emerald, when the player is inside the Battle Pyramid, the types of Pokémon encountered on each floor follow a set of categories, on the second floor the player will encounter Pokémon that poison as their main tactic.
In the Generation IV games, Pokémon Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver, at the Battle Arcade, one of the effects caused by the roulette is causing the poison status; Pokémon that would normally be immune to poison are unaffected. The poison will last for a single battle.

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

Like the main games, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon also features both normal poisoning as well as bad poisoning. When a Pokémon is poisoned, it takes damage every ten turns and is also prevented from regenerating HP. Poison does not disappear over turns. When a Pokémon is badly poisoned, it takes damage every two turns and also prevents regenerating HP.
Similar to the main games, the poison conditions do not disappear over turns but can be healed with certain moves or items, and by going to the next floor.

Pokémon Conquest

Like the main series, a Pokémon inflicted with poison is protected from other status conditions and does not wear off over time. It can be inflicted by attacks, abilities, or by a Pokémon ending their turn in a poison bog, but as in the main series, Steel-types are immune to poison and all methods that would inflict it. Poison can be cured through certain Warrior Skills, items, or by ending a Pokémon's turn in a hot spring or a water bucket.

Pokémon afflicted with poison lose 1/8th their max HP, rounded down, at the end of their side's turn, even if the poisoned Pokémon itself took no action. Enemy Warriors defeated through poison damage are not treated as being defeated by the player, and thus cannot be recruited after the battle.

In the anime

In Sharpedo Attack!, while Brock is battling a Sharpedo it suddenly faints. He examines it and realizes that it's poisoned from Seviper's Poison Tail. Brock does everything he can for Sharpedo, but they don't have any medicine, and after a while, Sharpedo's poison gets cured.

In Facing Fear with Eyes Wide Open!, Scraggy's aggressiveness towards a group of Foongus causes the Foongus to use Poison Powder in retaliation, affecting all of Ash, Iris, and Cilan's Pokémon except for Oshawott, who had been training with his Trainer and Excadrill who was not out. While Iris took care of the sick Pokémon, Ash, Oshawott, and Cilan went to a nearby pond to get Remeyo weed for Iris's poison remedy. After fending off the pond's Tympole, Ash and Cilan capture the Tympole's leader, Palpitoad, and its ally, Stunfisk, respectively, allowing them access to the herbs.

In the TCG

In the Trading Card Game, Poisoned is one of the five Special Conditions along with Asleep, Burned, Confused, and Paralyzed. When a Pokémon is Poisoned, a poison counter is placed on it and one damage counter is put on the Pokémon in between each turn. Some attacks require the player to put two, three, or even four damage counters on a Pokémon between turns, instead of the normal one. The condition can be removed by returning the affected Pokémon to the Bench or by evolving it. Unlike the Pokémon games, a Pokémon can be afflicted with more than one Special Condition at once; however, some Special Conditions will erase ones already present.

Trivia

Prior to Generation V, poison is the only status condition that can inflict damage outside of battle.